Door latch



Sept. 3, 1946.

R. C. CERF DOOR LATCH Filed Feb. 1o, 1945 IHIlI /vmvrg 535er C (Eenirme/vof Patented Sept. 3, 1946 Robert C. Cerf, Los Angeles, Calif.,assignerv to Pacific Plastic and Manufacturing Company, Los Angeles,Calif., a corporation of California Application February 10, 1945,Serial No.' 577,176

. 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to door latches and in particular to lockingmeans for the latch bolt.

One object of the invention is to provide a locking means for aknob-and-spindle-actuated latch which is simple in construction, easilyassembled,

RMA

and easily applied to a door, and is reliable and Still another objectis to provide a locking device for latches operable generally from oneside of the door with provision for emergency releasing of the lockingmeans from the opposite side of the door.

These and other objects are attained by my invention which ishereinafter described, reference being made to the accompanying drawingin which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a doorprovided with a door latch embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a door-edge elevational View of the door and latch shown inFig. 1, portions being shown in section; y

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the rocker member and the rocker member base;

Fig. 5 is an edge view of the rocker assembly shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side view of a preferred knob and spindle latch mechanism.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing, a portion of a doorlvl is shown, in which is mounted a knob-and-spindle-actuatedretractable latch bolt device. A preferred form is described and shown,consisting of a latch case I2, having a latch bolt I3 slidably mountedin the case and normally held in extended position by the spring meansI4 acting against the inner end of the bolt and against a partitionmember I5 aiiixed to the sides of the latch case I2. The latch bolt I3at its inner end is provided with connecting lugs I6 which are linkedinto slots in a latch-retracting member I9 tting inside the case, thislatch-retracting member having an upper and lower portion slidingrespectively above and below the partition member I5; and the actuatingwing attached to the hub 2|, which is engaged in its rectangularsectioned axis by the square sectioned spindle 22. Slots 23 and 24 areprovided in the latch retracting member I9 respectively in the upper andlower portions so that the wing 20 engages either the upper or the lowervportion (which are interconnected as a unit by the end portion I'I)when the spindle 22 is turned in either direction, thus retracting thelatch bolt I3 by either turning movement of the spindle.

The spindle 22 extends through the door on eitherside thereof, the lefthand knob and the right hand knob 23 (as shown in Figs. 2 and 3) beingrespectively the outside and the inside of the door, the knobs 25 and 2Sbeing attached to the spindle 22, for example, by the set screws 2l'. Arosette 28 is provided on the outside between the door` and the shank ofthe knob 25, short screws 23 into the door holding the rosette 28 inplace.

On the inside of the door, a rosette 33 is provided, which covers thelatch locking mechanism as hereinafter described. The rosette 30 isremovably attached, as by crimping, to the outer edge of a positioningmember 3| which consists of a shallow cylinder having a base on which itis mounted on the side of the door and having two internally threadedlugs 32 extending into the door respectively above and below the latchcase I2,` these lugs serving to hold the locking device rmly to the doorby means of the screws 34 in the threaded holes Y33, the screw headsbeing positioned under the outside rosette28. The rim 35 extends inopposite direction from the lugs 32, and is preferably provided with anopening 36 adapted to receive the locking bar 51 to more securely lockthe turning of the spindle, and to permit the emergency release in themanner described below. The rim 35 is also conveniently notched at 38for the lugs 49 in the rocker base plate to position and preventrelative turning of the two parts. f

The `locking disk 4D which is adapted to rotate Within the rim 35 of thepositioning member 3| is provided with a hub `4I extending on both sidesand adapted to rotate in the center hole 39 of the positioning member 3|as a bearing, and als-o on the other end to serve as a bearing and as acentering member for the rocker arm base plate 5U. The opening 42through the hub 4l is nonrocker member 5I consists of a disk portion 52with extending arms 53 and 5t at diametrically opposite sides, and withedge or V -bearings 55 at positions intermediate the extending arms,these bearings being conveniently made by bending or crimping the disk,52 as shown, to rest on the base plate 5G. Hold-down tabs 5E attached toor punched. out from the base plate 50 extend over the bearing edges 55to keep the rocker 5I in place. Knobs or buttons 58 and 59 are attachedrespectively to the rocker arms 52 and 53, and these knobs or buttonsextend through suitable holes 60 in the rosette 30, so that when one orthe other is pressed, the rocker 5| is tilted correspondingly. Theextreme end of the arm 53 is bent at right angles toward the positioningmember 3l to form the locking bar 51, which, when the arm 54 is in thedown position, extends through the notch 6! in the rocker base plate,which notch is orientated with the locking opening 35 in the positioningmember 3l, and also with the notch 43 in the locking disk 40 When thelatch bolt I3 is in extended position and the knobs are at rest. Thelocking bar 51 is so positioned and dimensioned that when the arm 53 ofthe rocker member is in the "down position, it is withdrawn from theopenings in the positioning member 3| and in the locking disk 40, sothat the latter is free to move as the knobs 25 and 2'6 are turned inwithdrawing the latch bolt.

To give more positive positioning of the locking bar 51 and to preventaccidental displacement thereof, the edges of the bar are provided withindentations 52 into which the ends or end portions of the wire springs63 are engaged, one set of indentaticns corresponding to the fullylocked position, and the other to the free position. The springs 63 areattached by the screws S4 and held in suitable position on the rockerbase plate by the tabs 65.

It will be clear from. the description that the knobs may be turned ineither direction and the latch bar operated in the normal manner so longas the rocker 5| is tilted so that the locking bar 51 is in the outposition because the locking disk 40 is then free to rotate; but whenthe rocker is tilted in the other position. by pressing the button 59extending through the inside rosette 3U, the locking bar then extendsthrough the notch 43 of the locking disk 40 and into the opening 3S ofthe positioning member 3|, and the spindle 22 may then not be turnedbecause the hub 4I on disk 40 cannot be turned,

In order to provide for emergency unlatching of the door from theoutside, even when locked from the inside by the locking devicev abovedescribed, an additional hole B5 may be` optionally, provided in theouter rosette 28, this hole registering with a hole 61 in the door andclearing the latch case I2, terminating beneath the opening 35 in thebase of the positioning member 3|, this opening being provided in thepreferred form of my invention to give more secure locking of thespindle and for the purpose of this emergency unlatching means. A pieceof wire, (not shown) or other tool, may be inserted through this hole topush the locking bar 51 out of the opening 36 and the notch 43 of thelocking disk 40, thus permitting the spindle to be turned and the latchbolt I3 retracted, to unlatch the door.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention,it will be understood that it is not limited to all of the detailsshown, but is capable of modification and variation Within the spirit ofthe invention and Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a door lock, locking means for a knoband-spindle-actuatedretractable bolt means operable from one side of a door at times to holdthe spindle against turning, comprising a shallow cylinder positioningmember concentric With the spindle attachable at its base to a door, anotched locking disk adapted to rotate Within said positioning memberand non-rotatably connected to said spindle, a covering disknon-rotatably attached to said positioning member having an openingadapted to receive a locking bar, rocker means rockably mounted on saidcovering disk, a locking bar extending parallel to the spindle from oneend of said rocker means adapted at times to simultaneously engage theopenings in said covering disk and the notch in said locking disk, andpush button means affixed on opposite ends of said rocker means forrocking said rocker means to engage and disengage said locking bar.

2. In a door lock, locking means for a knoband-spindle-actuatedretractable -bolt means operable from one side of a door at times tohold the spindle against turning, comprising a shallow cylindricalpositioning member concentric with the spindle attachable at its base toa door and provided with an opening therethrough adapted to receive alocking bar, a notched locking disk adapted to rotate within saidpositioning member non-rotatably connected to said spindle, a coveringdisk non-rotatably attached to said positioning member having an openingadapted to receive a locking bar, rocker means rockably mounted on saidcovering disk, a locking bar extending parallel to the spindle from oneend of said rocker means adapted at times to simultaneously engage theopenings in said positioning member and said covering disk and the notchin said locking disk, and push button means aixed on opposite ends ofsaid rocker means for rocking said rocker means whereby to engage anddisengage said locking bar in the notch in said locking disk.

3. In a door lock, a knob-and-spindle-actuated retractable bolt means;and locking means operable from one side of a door at times to hold saidspindle against turning, said locking means consisting of a shallowcylindrical positioning member concentric with said spindle attachableat its base to the door and provided with an opening therethroughadapted to receive a locking bar, a notched locking disk adapted torotate within said positioning member and non-rotatably connected tosaid spindle, a covering disk attached to said positioning member havingan opening adapted to receive a locking bar, rocker means rockablymounted on said covering disk, a locking bar extending parallel to thespindle from one end of said rocker means adapted at times tosimultaneously engage the openings in said positioning member, coveringdisk and locking disk, and finger-operable means for rocking said rockermeans to engage and disengage said locking bar with the notch in saidlocking disk.

ROBERT C. CERF.

